DIY: Black Floral Arrangements

Two options for creating a moody Halloween ambience with black blooms, created by two of our favorite florists: Torryne Choate of Birch in San Francisco and Te Dinh Sy of The Willow in Shoreditch in the UK. According to Sy, "There is something darkly romantic about a black rose, something wicked." To create the desired noirish effect, consider spray painting roses or creating imposters using black crepe paper. Above: "We recently had to prepare some displays for a thirtieth birthday party and the client wanted black roses," Te Dinh Sy says. "Pure black roses are impossible to get, so with a few spray cans, off we went. There is something odd about the process—spraying a beautiful fresh rosebud black—but the results are undeniably beautiful. The new artificial flower: an urban bloom." Above: A mix of spray-painted roses and fresh blooms. Above: In San Francisco, Torryne Choate of Birch created a floral arrangement for Alexis Swanson Traina of Swanson Vineyards, using black paper flowers. Country Living has a video with instructions on how to make crepe paper flowers. N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on October 18, 2011.